Should you be using addressed or unaddressed mail?

Although direct mail is still highly effective, many people have a tendency to put more emphasis on their email marketing. Improving the response rate of your direct mail campaign is the best way to communicate your message to your customer.

But what are the pros and cons of addressed and unaddressed mail?

The advantages of addressed mail

The most obvious reason to use addressed mail in a direct campaign is the ability to specifically target a person. The mail looks less like an advertisement and the person who is being addressed is much more likely to open the correspondence.

Businesses who deal in luxury goods such as jewellery, nautical hardware, real estate and some forms of technology receive much more attention when the mail they send is personalized. It is much easier for a customer to justify spending a great deal of money when there is the appearance of a personal connection.

The disadvantages of addressed mail

Depending on how you obtain your mailing records, the information that you have may be wrong or outdated. The vast majority of addressees will not inform your company if their address has changed. That’s why it’s important to work from the cleanest list you can manage. A letter that is addressed to a person who has moved away is a completely wasted effort even if the house is inhabited by even the most suitable prospect: They will not, of course, open mail addressed to the previous owner.

People can also open accounts in the names of their children or simply won’t provide their full name. If the list you’re working from is not strong, your correspondence won’t get you an effective return.

The advantages of unaddressed mail

There are actually times when generic mail is more effective than mail that is personally addressed to individuals. In the case of surveying a new area, using unaddressed mail has a much higher response rate than relying on old records. Unaddressed mail may be opened by anyone, giving more of a chance of a conversion in some cases.

Companies that service a mass audience can generally benefit most by using unaddressed mail. There is little need to personalize a message for products and services that are more necessity than luxury; people have to get them from somewhere. This type of business doesn’t have to worry about keeping their mailing lists clean.

The disadvantages of unaddressed mail

When you receive a handful of mail, are you more likely to look at the mail that’s addressed to you or the generic pieces of mail? Chances are, you’re going to pay more attention to the mail that has your name on it. In a world of automation, people are quickly gaining awareness and growing tired of robotic automated marketing programs. Unaddressed mail is best used in situations where you want as many people to see your piece as possible.

What has worked best in your marketing campaigns, addressed or unaddressed mail? Let us know by commenting below!